It is exactly twice the size of a regular concert flute with an approx. As well as information about purchasing an instrument, maintenance, repertoire and performance aids. There is a lot experimentation in the low flute world. Morton Feldman's composition "Crippled Symmetry" has a part for the bass flute, as does John Cage's late work "Seven2". Once a student has grasped the basics of sound production and fingering, and are physically big enough to support a larger instrument they may move across to the bass flute at any time. Despite its name, its playing range makes it the tenor member of the flute family. It is held out to the side and the pipe bends around in a U shape to allow the performers to reach the keys. Selected repertoire graded into ability levels with short descriptions and information about basses can be found in The Alto and Bass Flute Resource Guide published by Falls House Press, and specialist low flutes publishing company Tetractys has a growing catalogue of works for bass flute. Flute choirs are big here in the States, and while not a lot of music is written for Eb flute, it is nice to have a voice between the flute and the piccolo, just as it is nice to have the alto between the flute and the bass." The shorter tube reduces acoustic resistance, which quickens the response and makes the tone brighter, livelier, and more resonant. Other instruments use specific clefs that help their range stay readable and without too many ledger lines, such as the alto (viola) or tenor clefs (cello at times, bassoon). The Epsilon bass flute by Hogenhius is unique in its design. Peter Sheridan is a performer, teacher, instrument inventor and mentor to The Techie Flutist. to top. Bass flutes often have a C foot rather than the B foot common to other flutes. The bass flute is bigger still than the alto flute. Hans Pfitzner's 1917 opera Palestrina features an early (true) C bass flute part. Kotato basses have addressed the weight problem of bass flutes by designing a graphite rod that screws onto the underside of the instrument and then rests on the chair seat between the player's legs. In the following pages, you will find details of our extensive range of instruments including flutes, piccolos, harmony flutes, headjoints, traditional flutes, whistles and recorders. I love that my alto and bass flutes have a more haunting and harmonically rich quality in the upper registers and I always demonstrate them with I am doing clinics. These include Katherine Hoover's Two for Two, Bill Douglas's Karuna, Sophie Lacaze's Archelogos II, Mike Mower's Obstinato and Scareso, Gary Schocker's A Small Sonata for a Large Flute, Lorenzo Ferrero's Ellipse and Shadow Lines, Sonny Burnett's Stone Suite, Catherine McMichael's Baikal Journey and Ennio Morricone's Secrets of the Sahara. However today Kotato and Fukushima, Jupiter and Kingsma all produce upright basses. However, sometimes when the instrument is exceptionally cold it will be rather slow to respond. It is extremely usefull as a bass instrument in a flute ensemble, and can even be used to play some solo repertoire. Concert flute - Range. Trombone? Musical Instrument Guide : Flute Contents. Instead of the tube of the instrument being cylindrical it is a semi-circle with the keys attached to the flat service. He is a huge supporter of new music and has commissioned countless works for low flutes. To help you become accustomed to the instrument I recommend creating yourself a flute map. Because manufacturers do not taper the flute body through the curve, intonation of all notes beginning with written D6 and higher tend to be sharp. I.H. Our TJ Alto. This type of bass flute are exceptionally rare and are only made by Hogenhius. Next, you place one end on your lap and then your flute rests on the other end. Alto and bass flutes, however, are limited in the upper register depending on the capabilities of individual instruments and players. A cheaper but less aesthetically pleasing alternative is to use a Manhasset music stand with the top flipped upsidedown and a blanket/jacket/scarf covering it. Every flute is individually tested prior to sale and covered by the all flutes plus guarantee in addition to any manufacturers warranty, enabling you to buy from us with absolute confidence. A bass flute is heard throughout George Bruns' score for The Jungle Book and the original Pirates of the Caribbean attraction. The fabric is simple so that your instrument doesn't get scratched. It also would have been very challenging to clean. The shorter tube also makes the instrument somewhat lighter and less fatiguing for the player to hold. It is recommended that students first start leaning flute on a standard concert flute. Horizontal bass flutes must be supported by the flautist. this bass flute, compared to other brands, offers the highest quality at a much lower price. With the low flutes, take time to experience the different colors present in the full range of the instruments. Chris Potter, Retreat Director Ali Ryerson, Special Guest (May) Retreat Dates May 21 - 23 with Ali Ryerson (online only) - Application Form Daily Retreat Schedule Registration for the May Retreat with Ali is … It’s lon... Meet the Bass FluteIn this lecture, I will demonstrate the bass flute, which is in the key of C. Welcome To our TJ alto and bass flute website. The bass flute extends the range of the flute a full octave below middle C, and has a rich and deep sound. For an extensive list of repertoire for bass flute and contrabass flute see Repertoire Catalogue for Piccolo, Alto Flute and Bass Flute (2004) by Peter van Munster (Roma: Riverberi Sonori). Another piece featuring the bass flute is John Mackey's "The Frozen Cathedral" (2013) in two separate sections of the piece. Prior to the mid-20th century, the term "bass flute" was sometimes used, especially in Great Britain, to refer to the alto flute instead (for example: the part for "bass flute in G" in Gustav Holst's The Planets). And yet others by just an octave, such as us bass players and on the other end of the spectrum, the piccolo flute. Contrabass flutes are currently being manufactured by Eva … Some of these included an upright bass flute with an "S" shaped bend in the neck. We strive for a balance of color in all ranges of the concert flute. The bass flute is a relatively young instrument that designers started experimenting with during the 1920s and 30s. The Seven Bass Flute by Hogenhius is essentially the same as the Epsilon except is it shaped like a number 7. Because manufacturers do not taper the flute body through the curve, intonation of all notes beginning with written D6 and higher tend to be sharp. Bass flutes are most often made with silver-plated bodies and head joints. (Learn More). Keep in mind that we may receive commissions when you click our links and make purchases. We try our best to keep things fair and balanced, in order to help you make the best choice for you. There is no a standard on what are the ranges for pan flute and you might find that they can vary slightly among pan flute makers. The height of the instrument is adjusted to suit the player using a small cello spike that is attached to the bottom end of the instrument. Around the same time as Rudel Carte, Abelardo Albisi, an Italian flute player was developing an upright bass with a B footjoint. Rottenburg piccolo. The alto flute is in the key of G, and extends the low register range of the flute to the G below middle C. Its highest note is a high G (4 ledger lines above the treble clef staff). The bass flute, however, is not like this as its lower register is its strongest. On a standard concert flute, the lower register of the instrument traditionally soft and mellow while the middle and upper registers can be quite strong and loud. For example, the second octave Eb is notoriously 'fluffy'. Dutch flute maker Eva Kingma has created a vertical design for the bass flute which allows the weight of the instrument to be supported by the floor. The double contrabass fluteis 8 feet tall, has tubing of up to 22 feet and weighs about 30 pounds. Because of the length of its tube (approximately 146 cm (57 in)), it is usually made with a J-shaped head joint, which brings the embouchure hole within reach of the player. Additional adjectives describe instruments above the soprano range or below the bass, for example: sopranino saxophone, contrabass clarinet. This option also only works if you are sitting down. The bass flute is quite an interesting instrument, combined with adding reverb and echo to it, it becomes something even cooler. We know that the hyperbass is bigger and has a lower pitch, but it is not made out of metal, instead PVC pipes and wood are used. The bass flute went through many different developmental phases. She also runs a yearly alto and bass flute retreats and offers alto/bass flute lesson over Skype so students from around the world can benefit from her wealth of knowledge and experience. (Learn More), The Seven Bass Flute by Hogenhius is essentially the same as the Epsilon except is it shaped like a number 7. The instrument's sounding range is from C3, one octave below middle C, to C6, two octaves above middle C. Bass flute music sounds an octave lower than it is written, which is the typical concert flute range (C4 to C7). These can be played with ease using special fingerings. The bass flute is naturally quieter than a normal flute and is consequently often amplified during performances. Kotato and Fukushima produce an instrument that they call bass flute in F, which some people refer to as a Contra-alto flute. Peter specialises not only in alto flute but also in the bass, contra, sub-contra, and hyper-bass Flutes. It also increases the clarity of its bottom register allowing notes to be produced with a very clean attack. The larger the flute the harder it is to keep in tune especially at the lower and upper ends of its range. Making Life Sound beautiful™. Learn how and when to remove this template message, https://web.archive.org/web/20101104012435/http://www.hogenhuis-flutes.com/pages/bassflute.html, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bass_flute&oldid=1022020590, Articles needing additional references from January 2017, All articles needing additional references, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 7 May 2021, at 23:52. Origins. Up until the 1920s, the alto flute was frequently referred to as a bass flute simply because it had been the lowest member of the flute family. emma @thetechieflutist.com. This course covers both families in detail, including their range, register, strength, and the role each instrument plays within the orchestra. pressure on the keys. The course begins with a thorough examination of the the flute and its family members, the piccolo, alto flute and bass flute. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Join us for the 17th Annual Alto and Bass Flute Retreats! Do the same thing in the third column but this time with your bass flute. The idea behind the lap crutch is good. All Things Flute. (see how to amplify a bass flute). The bass flute is played in exactly the same way as a regular flute with the flautist blowing across the embouchure hole to produce a sound. He is a huge supporter of new music and has commissioned countless works for low flutes. Baritone BC & All Saxophones? This flute is also referred to as the octobass flute and is considered as the world’s biggest metal flute and with the lowest pitch as well. You can also order the Eva Kingma design Bass flute, which offers a more flexible range of options and designs. Microtones. It takes time and patience to learn to play these notes consistently with a diverse dynamic range and good intonation. flute. Consequently, flautists need to be gradually build up their arm and finger muscles so they can support the instrument. This particular one is made by Pearl and comes apart for easy transport. Notes written above A6 are not often used as they are difficult to produce and have inferior tone. The instrument is positioned like a bass clarinet in front of the performer. Both the alto and bass flute are constructed so as to emphasize the lower two octaves of the instrument's range (written C4 to C6), at the expense of not having a truly balanced upper register. They are perfect for when you need to swop between different flutes for a gig. Bass flutes fall into three distinct price ranges: $2300-$4500 (Jupiter, Emerson, Jupiter DiMedici, and Gemeinhardt); $6800-$8000 (Altus, Yamaha, and Eva Kingma); and $10,000+ (Kotato and Sankyo). One of the key advantages to open holes is they provide the player with greater control over the instrument. All flutes have the same written range, apart from the piccolo (which only goes down to written D4). (Learn More). The bass flute is a member of the flute family. Depending on the musician or the musical requirements of a particular piece, the range can lean towards bass or high pitches. The Bass Flute ~ Expressing the secrets from deep within the human soul ~. Most basses come with trill keys which allow the player to stabilize some otherwise unstable middle register notes as well as trill between otherwise impossible notes. Don't forget to include all the sharps and flats. This means that this giant of an instrument easily outsizes most of its counterp… The 'Bass Flute Method' by Chris Potter is a fantastic method book for the bass But it does help to take a lot of pressure off your right hand. Range is … appears to be dead. The Bass boost has been designed to hold the weight of both alto and bass flutes. The idea is that you adjust the crutch to be the correct height for your body. Bassoon? These models range from $3500 to $10,000. The Trevor James bass flute is an excellent addition to our range of flutes. 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